I was not surprised to see our mainstream media feature another story of a survivor of Hiroshima recalling the horrors of nuclear weapons as part of their anti-nuclear narrative. This again shows the wilful ignorance our media and political class have of the history of the Pacific Theatre during World War II.
While there is much media coverage of the Nazi war crimes, there is very little coverage of the war crimes committed by the Japanese during the war. While there are commemorations for the Holocaust and compensations or memorials for the victims, this did not happen for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre. While there has been redress and continued compensation by the Germans, the Japanese have refused to acknowledge, apologise or discuss the Nanjing Massacre. In fact, it is interesting that while we had the Nuremberg Trials and the continued hunt for Nazi war criminals, Japanese war criminals were pardoned and given clemency after the war.
To be fair, the Americans did not prosecute all Nazi war criminals. Under Operation Paperclip, German engineers were recruited to help the US win the Space Race. However, it is not widely known that the Americans also offered immunity to the Japanese scientists involved in the infamous Unit 731 in exchange for their research into biological weapons, despite the horrendous experiments performed on political prisoners.
This is why I was disappointed that the only contribution I saw in the Dominion Post to the growing debate in Japan about nuclear weapons and militarisation, was to share the story of a Hiroshima survivor. While I believe it is valid to hear these stories it does leave out the reason America needed to drop the bomb: Japan was not going to stop.
The Japanese culture has a proud tradition; under bushido it is considered shameful to surrender to your enemy. Part of Asian culture is the culture of ‘face’ or your pride. Therefore to surrender is to ‘lose face’ and bring shame upon yourself and your family. That is why many Japanese officers at the time who were from samurai clans often committed seppuku (suicide) rather than surrender.
If the nuclear bombs hadn’t been dropped the Japanese would have kept fighting, leading to even more lives being lost. When the Americans dropped the bomb they were not thinking about the Japanese civilians; they were thinking about the thousands of Chinese, Koreans, Vietnamese and Filipinos treated like the untouchables in their own countries; they were thinking about the Australian, British, Canadian and American POWs treated like animals who suffered in the Bataan Death March; they were thinking about the victims of the Nanjing Massacre and Unit 731; they were thinking about the Americans killed at Pearl Harbour and they wanted the war to end.
Whatever the case, the explosions at Hiroshima and Nagasaki created a phenomenon known as the ‘nuclear taboo’ in which the nuclear option is always the ‘forbidden subject’ in diplomatic and geopolitical circles. Nobody wants a nuclear war, which is why countries post-World War II would always attempt to de-escalate. Japan has always been the case study for this phenomenon, with political polling in the country showing consistent opposition both to nuclear weapons and to an overhaul of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution. This is despite the nuclear threat presented by North Korea and the military threat presented by China.
Japan is also in the middle of what is known as the ‘security dilemma’ in which Japan must decide whether or not they develop their military capabilities and become a threat to their neighbours or do not develop them and risk invasion from their neighbours.
The other thing that Japan is avoiding is what scholars describe as ‘cult of the offensive’ in which military leaders advocate for offensive unstoppable measures as a better military strategy rather than defensive measures. Put simply, ‘the best defence is a good offence’ mentality.
However, it seems that this culture is changing. The centre-right Liberal Democratic Party led by Shinzo Abe has been in government since 1996. They have always advocated for tougher stances on China and North Korea. That is why a recent Japanese Defence White Paper included Taiwan as one of their national security issues. And even at the time of writing as Shinzo Abe has left his post, polls still suggest that he has much sway and influence within the party, which could explain why they have departed from their hard military stances on China and North Korea.
The reason I support Japanese nuclearisation is because the arms race in the region is already happening. The only reason China raises concerns is because they know Japan has the capability to counter their military. They are scared of Japan but they won’t admit it.
The American elites raise concerns over it because they have been compromised by the CCP. The time of the liberal international order is coming to an end. We will enter a new era that is anarchic in nature, and deterrence is the only way to contain and respond to neighbouring threats such as China, even if it means the threat of mutually assured destruction.
China does not respect Japan so therefore Japan has no obligation to remain the peace loving nation that they are. While they have their blossom festivals and peace ceremonies, China is increasingly flaunting its military with air incursions and grand military parades and drills. It is interesting to note that Germany and Japan were shamed for militarisation while the rest of the world developed their military capabilities.
The time has come for Japan to stop being pressured by the international community and to consider its own interests.
While some may think that Japan will be perceived as a threat if they pursue militarisation and nuclear weapons, I would suggest that China already considers them a threat regardless.
Japan’s rapid technological advancements in robotics and nuclear energy show its potential to become the nation with the best weapons. This is what their enemies China and North Korea fear. If they didn’t, North Korea would not have tested missiles off the coast of Japan and China would not be probing their defences and invading their airspace. I would also question why Japan listens to the UN when it has China on the Permanent 5 of the Security Council.
It will be interesting to see what Japan does. The barriers that Japan must overcome to reach this stage are the nuclear taboo, the fears of the cult of the offensive and an international community that seems determined to keep them down. Japan must rise again.